A practical global & Pakistan
dairy terminology glossary.
Bridge international dairy science with indigenous Pakistani livestock terminology. 29 core terms covering nutrition, reproduction, veterinary medicine, farm economics and milk trade, each with its Urdu script name and a plain-English definition.
Summary: The HerdManager.co Dairy Glossary translates international scientific standards (DMI, TMR, Somatic Cell Count, CIDR, IOFC, SARA) into actionable local livestock terms (Bhoosa, Wanda, Doddhi, Khal Banola, Toka, Gal Ghotu, Baoli Doodh) for farmers in Pakistan and globally.
Nutrition, Forage & Feed Terminology
| Term & Transliteration | Urdu Script | Technical Definition & Application |
|---|---|---|
| Bhoosa (Wheat Straw) | بھوسہ | Crushed dry wheat stems. Staple filler roughage in South Asia providing effective fiber (NDF ~72%) with low protein (3–4%). |
| Wanda (Concentrate Feed) | ونڈا | Balanced grain pellet or mash containing 18–20% Crude Protein (CP) formulated with grains, oil cakes, and mineral premixes. |
| Khal Banola (Cottonseed Cake) | کھل بنولہ | Undecorticated cake left after oil is pressed from cottonseed, with about 20–24% CP and 6–8% residual oil; a traditional butterfat booster for buffaloes across Punjab and Sindh. Decorticated cake (hulls removed) is far richer, at about 38–42% CP. |
| Sarson Khal (Mustard Cake) | سرسوں کھل | Mustard oil extraction by-product (32–36% CP). Pungent glucosinolates require restricting inclusion to ≤10–15% of total concentrate. |
| Choker (Wheat Bran) | چوکر | Outer layer of the wheat grain (14–16% CP, high phosphorus); a palatable, moderately fibrous energy feed widely used in home-mixed wanda. |
| Berseem (Egyptian Clover) | برسیم | Winter (Rabi) legume fodder cut several times from roughly November to April; 18–22% CP on a dry-matter basis and very palatable, but only 15–20% dry matter, so large fresh weights are needed. |
| Silage | سائیلج | Green forage — usually whole-crop maize or sorghum — chopped, packed and sealed airtight so it ferments and keeps for months. Maize silage at 32–35% dry matter is a high-energy roughage with about 8–10% CP. |
| Total Mixed Ration (TMR) | ٹی ایم آر | A completely blended mixture of forages, concentrates, minerals, and vitamins preventing cows from sorting individual components. |
| Dry Matter Intake (DMI) | خشک مادہ خوراک | The actual weight of feed consumed excluding moisture content. Commercial dairy cows require 3.2–3.8% of body weight in DMI daily. |
| Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF) | این ڈی ایف | The total cell-wall fibre in a feed. It drives rumen fill and cud-chewing; rations for milking cows generally need at least 28% NDF on a dry-matter basis. |
| Sub-Acute Ruminal Acidosis (SARA) | اوجھری کی تیزابیت | Rumen pH stays below about 5.8 for several hours a day, usually from too much grain and too little effective fibre. Signs include loose dung, low milk fat and erratic feed intake. |
Breeding, Pathology & Milk Science
| Term & Transliteration | Urdu Script | Technical Definition & Application |
|---|---|---|
| Baoli Doodh (Colostrum / Kheesa) | باولی دودھ / کھیس | First thick maternal milk produced during the initial 72 hours post-calving; rich in maternal immunoglobulins (IgG) for calf immunity. |
| Garmi / Heat (Oestrus) | گرمی (ہیٹ) | The roughly 12–18-hour period when a cow will stand to be mounted and can conceive; it returns about every 21 days in a non-pregnant animal. Buffalo heats are often quiet and easy to miss. |
| Artificial Insemination (AI) | مصنوعی نسل کشی | Placing semen from a selected bull into the uterus with an insemination gun, usually about 12 hours after heat is first seen (the AM–PM rule). |
| CIDR | سی آئی ڈی آر | Controlled Internal Drug Release — a T-shaped vaginal insert that releases progesterone, used in vet-led heat-synchronisation and timed-AI programmes. |
| Voluntary Waiting Period (VWP) | آرام کا وقفہ | The scheduled period post-calving (usually 50–60 days) during which the animal is deliberately not bred to allow complete uterine recovery. |
| Gal Ghotu (HS / Hemorrhagic Septicemia) | گل گھوٹو | Acute, often fatal septicemic infection caused by Pasteurella multocida, characterized by throat swelling and respiratory asphyxiation. |
| Munh Khur (FMD / Foot & Mouth) | منہ کھر | Highly contagious viral disease causing vesicles and ulcers on oral mucosa, tongue, teats, and interdigital clefts of hooves. |
| Milk Fever (Doodh ka Bukhar) | دودھ کا بخار | Low blood calcium (hypocalcaemia) around calving: the cow becomes weak and cold-eared and may go down. Despite the name there is usually no fever; it is a veterinary emergency. |
| Somatic Cell Count (SCC) | سومائیٹک سیل کاؤنٹ | Measurement of white blood cells in milk. Healthy quarters have <200,000 cells/mL; counts >400,000 indicate subclinical mastitis. |
Records, Economics & Milk Trade
| Term & Transliteration | Urdu Script | Technical Definition & Application |
|---|---|---|
| Doddhi (Milk Middleman) | دودھی | Traditional milk collector who buys unchilled milk from smallholder rural farmers and transports it to urban shops and markets. |
| Toka (Chaff Cutter) | ٹوکا | Hand- or motor-driven fodder cutter that chops green fodder and straw into short lengths before feeding, reducing waste and sorting. |
| Income Over Feed Cost (IOFC) | آئی او ایف سی | Daily milk income minus daily feed cost per cow — the money left after feeding to cover every other cost and profit. |
| Days in Milk (DIM) | دودھ کے دن | Days since a cow last calved. Used to group cows by lactation stage, time breeding and read milk records. |
| Calving Interval | بچہ دینے کا وقفہ | Days between two successive calvings. About 12–13 months is the usual target for dairy cows; buffaloes typically run longer. |
| Dry Period | خشک مدت | Rest period before the next calving when the cow is not milked — usually about 60 days — so the udder can regenerate. |
| Withdrawal Period | دودھ روکنے کی مدت | Time after a medicine is given during which milk (or meat) must not enter the food chain. It is set by each product's label and can differ between brands and countries. |
| Average Daily Gain (ADG) | روزانہ اوسط وزن میں اضافہ | Weight gained per day between two weighings. Dairy heifers are usually grown at about 750–850 g/day from weaning to breeding. |
| Body Condition Score (BCS) | جسمانی حالت کا اسکور | A 1–5 score of fat cover over the loin, ribs and tailhead, judged by eye and hand. Cows should calve at about 3.0–3.5. |
Glossary & Terminology Q&A
What is the difference between Bhoosa and Silage?
Bhoosa is dry wheat straw: a roughage that supplies physical fibre (NDF around 72%) but little protein (3–4%) and little energy. Silage — on most Pakistani dairy farms, corn (maize) silage — is green whole-crop forage fermented and preserved airtight at 32–35% dry matter. It is a high-energy feed (about 65–70% TDN, largely from grain starch) with roughly 8–10% protein.
What does Wanda mean in Pakistani dairy farming?
Wanda is the local term for dairy concentrate feed — a commercial or farm-mixed pellet or mash, typically 18–20% crude protein, made from energy grains such as maize, by-products such as wheat bran, oil cakes (cottonseed, canola or soybean), and minerals and vitamins. It is fed alongside green fodder and bhoosa to supply the extra energy and protein needed for milk production.
Why is IOFC such an important metric on a dairy farm?
Feed is the largest single cost on most dairy farms, usually well over half of operating costs. Income Over Feed Cost (IOFC = milk sales minus feed cost, per cow per day) shows how much money is left after feeding to cover labour, veterinary care, power, depreciation and profit — so it tells you whether a ration change is actually paying for itself.
Can I use HerdManager.co in Urdu or Roman Urdu?
The app interface is in English. You can ask its AI farm assistant questions in Urdu or Roman Urdu — for example "gaye ki bimari" or "wanda formula" — and it will usually reply in the same language.
Keep All Your Farm Records in One App
Record milk yields, breeding, health and feed in HerdManager.co — and ask the AI farm assistant questions in English, Urdu or Roman Urdu.
Put the terms to work: TMR Feed Guide · Mastitis Guide · Calf & Heifer Guide